Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Friday | January 13, 2017

Surprisingly, I woke not too tired today, so I decided to explore this town of Hobart, which is essentially a launching off point for Antarctic explorations. Hobart Island State is Australia’s southernmost territory, closer to Antarctica than it is to Perth. It’s eye-pleasing capital of Hobart surrounds a yacht-filled harbor.

Mount Wellington looms in the background, snow-capped in winter and popular with hikers in summer. I’m told the population is around 225,000 people, whereas there are fewer than 500,000 people in all of Tasmania.

I had a mandatory immigration inspection this morning and while there, I chatted with a fellow resident. We decided we'd take a little trip and explore a scientific and meteorological center that is actually the bureau of meteorology from the University of Tasmania.

More than 1000 scientists, and hundreds of students, explore issues related to the ice core of the Antarctic and the effects of human activities on the planet. Our guide explained that any major event occurring in the world can be found in traces of snowfall in the Antarctic eventually. Thus, by drilling into the ice, scientists are able to survey what happened on the earth at various times in our history. The oldest sample of core ice obtained at this facility is 820,000 years old. This was obtained by drilling more than 13 m down into the ice. Scientists aspire to get past the 1 million year mark, and the Chinese appear to be leading that effort. Scientists from all the major civilized countries, the United States, Australia, Russia, China, and others, share technology, resources, and intellectual property in an attempt to maximize the findings and exploration of Antarctic ice.

Our guide told us about various samples that have been taken and some of the trends that flow from them. One interesting thing he noted was that there used to be a natural evolutionary cycle where every 80,000 years, the climate would change from warm to cold. Around 810,000 years ago, that cycle changed to occur every 40,000 years, as opposed every 80,000 years.

He also told us that most of the CO2 that is in the ocean is actually captured in the sediment. That CO2 is only released when there is a major geological event.

As we have heard on prior occasions, he told us that if all of Antarctica and Greenland were to melt away, the global sea level would rise by 70 m, effectively drowning a great deal of the civilized world.

We went upstairs to the teaching laboratories and a special chamber where they maintain the ice cores that are taken from thousands of meters below the surface. They are housed at -30°C, so people were invited (directed) to put on heavy coats before entering.

Foolishly, I decided not to wear a coat.

As a result, I did not stay in there very long.

When I left the facility, I decided to take a walk around Hobart, in an effort to see the town and to get some fresh air and stretch my legs before casting off for three weeks aboard the ship in Antarctica. I found the town square.

This is some kind of old hoisting equipment that sits as a museum in the middle of town.

I wound my way through the streets to find a camera store where I bought a new case for my new camera. This camera has some new bells and whistles that make it really tremendous, and I’m so glad I got it.

For lunch, I bought salt and pepper fried squid and chips and sat outside in the drizzle.

I went back to the apartment to exchange some phone calls and emails with the ship's sales director to prepare a counter offer to a rather bizarre offer that was made on one of our apartments. Then, I put on a Beatles documentary and was pleased to fall asleep for about two hours.

When I awoke, it was time to shave and shower and go downstairs to meet friends for dinner. We sat in the Plaza and enjoyed a martini before heading out to dinner in town at Peacock & Jones. The restaurant used to be a cannery of some sort, and it had a really nice feel to it. We had a candid and lively “trash” session, discussing all elements of the ship, the nasty residents, and its management before some fellow residents came and sat at the table behind us. Then, our conversation became much more "controlled."